400 years ago, the Nagamachi area from Kanazawa was the neighborhood of the samurai class ruling the Kaga Domain, but at the end of the 19th century, the samurai class was abolished and many of these buildings were destroyed. However, some of them survived because they were bought by wealthy merchants - that’s the case of the house from the today’s photo, the former home of Nomura, a high-rank samurai family.

After the Meiji Restoration, the house was bought by Kubo Hirobei Hirobei, the owner of a shipping company from Hashidate. He preserved it and, after decades, the city of Kanazawa bought it - so today the Nomura family house is an interesting museum, allowing us a glimpse into the life of the samurai. The travel into the past starts right at the entrance, where an old samurai armor is greeting the visitors…